Russian frigate fires Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian infrastructure
A Russian Navy frigate in the Black Sea launched a four-missile cruise missile attack on Ukrainian military infrastructure on Wednesday morning, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The crew of a frigate of the Black Sea Fleet received the task to launch a Kalibr cruise missile strike against enemy military infrastructure as soon as possible," the ministry said on its Telegram messaging app.
The ministry said that the "designated targets” were hit. The information could not be independently verified and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine on Wednesday morning about the infrastructure hit overnight.
A video recording of the reported attack, published by the ministry on Telegram, showed a ship launching missiles during what appeared to be the early morning or dawn hours, but there was also footage in daylight.
The Ukrainian Navy said late Tuesday that the Russian Navy had maintained two submarines with a total loadout of up to eight Kalibr missiles in combat service in the Black Sea as of Tuesday evening.
The Black Sea has become a critical theatre of operations in this 21-month-old war. Ukraine has intensified air and maritime drone attacks on Russian military targets in the area, which have damaged shipyards and ship repair facilities in the port of Sevastopol and hit other targets.
Moscow uses its Black Sea fleet to launch long-range strikes against Ukraine. But for President Vladimir Putin, the waters - which connect to the Mediterranean Sea - are also an important springboard for projecting his power into the Middle East, Europe, and the West.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv's ability to hit warships and diminish Russian surveillance in the Black Sea has undermined Russia's war effort and helped Ukraine secure a maritime route to export its grain.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
